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MU specialist says standing water a concern for plants

Standing water is a big concern for corn and soybeans. University of Missouri specialist Bill Wiebold says it’s the lack of oxygen in the soil caused by that water.

“They can tolerate it for a short period of time. Soybean may be able to  tolerate it longer than corn but very quickly the plants run out of oxygen and within two to four days you can have death of those plants.”

And warmer temperatures add to the problem, Wiebold says, “Under warm temperatures the problem is worse than under cool temperatures because water that is warm actually holds less oxygen than water that’s cool.”

Wiebold says standing water can also cause loss of nitrogen and increased disease potential, but right now, oxygen loss is the biggest concern.

Wiebold spoke with growers during this morning’s online MU Town Hall.